Automatic release for fire-escapes.



' Witnesses E. A BONE. AUTOMATIC RELEASE FOR FIRE ESGAPES. APPLICATIONFILED JUNE 16, 1913.

1 ,OS'YA- QQ, Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

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Inventor Attorneys EDGAR A. BONE, OF LEBANON, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC RELEASE FOR FIRE-ESCAPES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

Application filed June 16, 1913. Serial No. 774,020.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDGAR A. BONE, a citizenof the United States, residing at Lebanon, in the county of Warren andState of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Automatic Release forFire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a fireescape, and the in vention aims to provide novel means whereby, when aperson descends the fire escape, a ladder will be automaticallyreleased, to bridge the space between the fixed portion of the fireescape and the ground.

It is within the scope of the invention to improve generally and toenhance the utility of, devices of that type to which the presentinvention appertains.

lVith the above and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the drawing :Figure 1 shows the invention in side elevation; Fig. 2is a perspective of the ladder holding latch and at tendant mechanism;Fig. 3 is a top plan of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

In carrying out the invention there is provided a stairway denotedgenerally by the numeral 1 and comprising side bars 2 and 3 connected byvertical bars 1 and by horizontal bars 5, the bars 1 and 5 preferablybeing disposed in intersecting relation. The bars 5 support the fixedtreads 6 of the stairway 1.

Certain of the vertical bars 4 are prolonged as indicated at 7 andsupport inclined bars 8 and 9 constituting a hand rail. A post 10 iserected at the bottom of the stairway 1 and is connected with the bars 8and 9. The upper bar 8 of the hand rail is prolonged horizontally asindicated at 11 and supports 12 project from the post 10.

The portion 11 of the hand rail and the supports 12 uphold guides letdisposed in pairs, the guides being secured to a platform 15 located atthe bottom of the stairway, the platform 15 being provided with a handrail 16.

To one of the guides 1a is secured a V bracket 17. A lat-ch mechanism isconnected with the bracket 17, the latch mechanism comprising bars 18and 19 which are pivotally connected at 20, the bar 18 being pivotallysecured to the bracket 17 as indicated at 21. An actuating member,preferably taking the form of a cord, chain or cable 22 is secured tothe block or bar 19 and extends over sheaves 28 supported for ro tationupon brackets 24: attached to the bar 9 of the hand rail, one end of theflexible actuating member 22 being secured as indicated at 25 to amovable step 26 pivoted as indicated at 27 to the lower bar 2 of thestairway 1.

A ladder 28 is mounted to slide vertically in the guides 14. and uponone of the stiles 29 of the ladder 28 there is a projection 30, adaptedto engage the upper end of the block or bar 19.

Under normal conditions, the parts appear as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, themovable tread or step.26 being uplifted at its free edge, the pivotallyconnected members 19 and 18 being disposed in alinement, and the member19 being engaged beneath the lug or projection 30 to holdthe ladder 28uplifted. V I

When a person descends the stairway 1 and treads upon the movable step26, the same will be depressed, exerting a tension upon the actuatingmember 22, the same moving over the sheaves 23 and exerting a pull uponthe latch mechanism 19-18, the constituent members of which will knuckleoutwardly, withdrawing the upper end of the member 19 from beneaththe'lug or projection .30, whereupon the ladder 28 will drop downwardly.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1; In a fireescape, a frame including an inclined stairway having a. movable treadlocated intermediate the top and the bottom of the stairway, a platformat the lower end of the stairway, and a guide located adjacent theplatform; a ladder slidable in the guide and accessible from theplatform for rising; a latch mechanism supported by the frame andcooperating with the ladder to hold the same in raised position, thelatch mechanism being accessible from the platform; and a connectingmeans operatively uniting the latch mechanism with the tread andextended along the side of the stairway above the same for manualmanipulation.

2. In a fire escape, a frame including an inclined stairway having ahinged tread; a ladder mounted to slide on the frame adj acent thebottom of the stairway; a latch comprising pivotally connected parts oneof which parts is engaged with the ladder, the other of which parts ispivoted to the frame, said parts having shoulders which engage with eachother to hold said parts in alinement and in ladder supporting position;a flexible element connected with part of the latch and with. the tread;and a direction changing support upon th frame and engaging theintermediate portion of the flexible element.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signa- 2 ture in the presence of: two witnesses.

EDGAR A. BONE.

Witnesses FLETCHER HAWK, PHILIP SPENGE.

fiopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

